


A Still Morning

by 3starsaboveamountain



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Sleepy twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 16:58:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12346818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3starsaboveamountain/pseuds/3starsaboveamountain
Summary: The crew has never seen the twins so still before.





	A Still Morning

It was odd to see them so still.

Lup was slumped on the couch in the common room, head lulled back, one foot on the table the other on the floor, the book that she had propped up on pillows had fallen by the wayside, one hand tangled in Taako's hair. Taako was flat on his back, head in Lup's lap, mouth slightly open, his book open on his stomach slowly rising and falling with each breath.

From the moment they all met during the IPRE screening process everyone noticed the Taaco's were a source of near constant movement. While Lup was more likely to restlessly buzz around a room, picking things up and replacing then across the room, tapping, drumming or bouncing, Taako was prone to large grand gestures that settle into mindless sweeping motions.

Lup could leg-bounce a table so much a glasses would fall off. In moments of deepest thought, she would drum the same rhythm for hours. In bed she’d scrub her feet together to get comfortable before falling asleep. Barry became acutely aware of how Lup's vibrant energy was near un-ending when she would pace in front of the whiteboards in the lab staring as if the movement would offer new angles around the problem.

Taako kept his hair long for most of his life because he enjoyed twirling it around his finger endlessly. Occasionally while he was zoned out he’d trace his lips with his thumb continuously. When he was anxious he'd run his nails up and down his forearm just enough to feel grounded in himself. Once he became more comfortable over the cycles, the crew would be surprised to feel Taako's fingers running aimlessly over their arm, or swirling their kneecap while they were sitting near each other or sharing a private conversation. It wouldn't happen often but they all felt a little bit of pride that they had made Taako comfortable enough to do so.

It was nearly the end of their 4th cycle. Everyone had been together for a while now but through everything they had experienced together the Twins still had this sort of wall up between them and everyone else. They laughed, trained, researched, fought and teased with rest of the crew easily enough but when it came to moments of vulnerability or letting their bravado drop there seemed to be something holding the crew at arm's length. More than a century of "us against the world" mentality left them more than a little weary of traveling with others. Sure they all might get along right now but years of a hard life had taught then that venerability and traveling companions did not mix well. All it took was one moment of vulnerability, of weakness, to be deemed “not worth the trouble” and it would just be the two of them again. Lup, the more trusting of the two, found herself learning to like traveling with others more and more through the cycles. Taako, on the other hand, was yet to be sold that their fellow crew members wouldn't sell them out at their first convenience. Though an annual reset had helped the twins understand that for better or for worse, they were stuck with the rest of the IPRE.

Yet here they both were, out in the middle of the common room, quiet and still, both sleeping soundly. Not behind the locked doors on their quarters or one of them keeping a very casual but constant lookout while the other meditated for a short while.

Lucretia was the first to find them- she smiled to herself and moved through into the kitchen to make the quietest coffee in the planner system. Then Davenport shortly after, a little surprised to see to find the twins so unceremoniously passed out. He moved carefully into the kitchen to get some coffee, greeted Lucretia, who was writing at the table, then moved to the bridge. Barry was next- attempting to stretch the knot in his neck as he came out from the Lab after accidentally spending the night in there. He glanced at the twins, blushed like was he intruding on something private and moved towards his quarters to get cleaned up. Merl was in the mists of a lion's roar of a yawn when he walked into the living room and fell immediately silent as to not wake them. Magnus finally came sleepily out of his room. Walking heavily down the hallway until his eyes fell upon the sleeping elves whereupon he tipped toed into the kitchen.

A loud snort of laughter followed by a loud "sshhhh" caused Taako to wake with a start. He sat up quickly, surprised that he had actually dozed off, and even more surprised that no one had bothered them while they had left themselves so open. He automatically sought out Lup, who was beginning to stir, to confirm that yes, they had left themselves vulnerable and were left alone. "Quiet or you'll wake them" came Magnus' smiling voice from the kitchen. Taako heard a mumbled apology from Lucretia. Lup caught Taako's eye and smiled. Yeah they were stuck with the rest of the IPRE, but maybe it wasn't so bad.


End file.
